Bluebird

Real Name
Sally Avril

Occupation
High School Student

Citizenship
U.S.A

Place of Birth
Queens, New York

Known Relatives
None

Group Affiliation
None

Education

High School Student, Amateur Photographer

Height
5'2"

Weight
110 lbs.

Eyes
Brown

Hair
(As Sally) Black, (as Bluebird) Blonde

Powers
None

Abilities
Sally was an accomplished gymnast

Other Info
Sally Avril was part of a group of kids in Queens, New York, consisting of Liz Allan, Tiny McKeever, Seymour O'Reilly, Jason Ionello, and Peter Parker who were friends since Elementary School. However, by the time they all arrived at Midtown High School, Peter had drifted apart from the group and the clique was taken over by new student Flash Thompson. (To learn about the characters and/or place highlighted above, just click on their names.)

From that point on, Sally wanted nothing to do with Peter. She constantly shot Parker down when he asked for a date. She even coaxed Liz away from Peter rather than offer sympathy after the death of his uncle. By high school, Sally had become a amazing gymnast. Also, she was always willing to appreciate a practical joke for the excitement it would bring. In fact, Sally was the only member of the group who approved of Jason's prank of stealing Peter Parker's clothes from his gym locker. One day, Jason approached Sally and asked only her to join him in a plan. The Daily Bugle had previously offered one thousand dollars to anyone who could discover Spider-Man's true identity, so Jason and Sally planned to be the ones to earn the reward money. (To learn about the place above, just click on its name.)

One night, Sally and Jason were prowling the city with a pair of binoculars when they came upon a fight between Spider-Man and Batwing. After this encounter Sally and Jason began to follow Spider-Man, eventually witnessing him committing a robbery for Electro (unaware that he had inadvertently been brainwashed). Following Spider-Man to the villains' hideout, Sally snapped a picture just as Electro prepared to unmask the hypnotized Spider-Man. The flash bulb woke Spider-Man from his trance. However, he was still on the verge of being defeated by Electro when Sally staggered the villain with a kick to the head which set him up for defeat by a punch from Spider-Man. To show his gratitude, Spider-Man posed with Sally and Jason standing over the unconscious Electro. Sally (who by then was smitten by the wall-crawler) gave the picture to the Daily Bugle; it appeared on the front page with the headline "School Kids Foil Super-Villain." (Click on the highlighted names above to learn about the characters.)

This success got Sally thinking that she could take pictures of Spider-Man for the Bugle but when she arrived at the newspaper offices, she found Peter Parker there and learned that he was already doing what she had planned to do. Peter asked Sally not to tell the other kids.
Therefore, Sally changed her plans and decided to become a super-hero herself. Enlisting the help of Jason's engineer father for weapons and equipment, Sally donned a white, blue, and black costume with a blonde wig and called herself "Bluebird." (She carried around with her Bluebird Eggs that were filled with ether and paint pellets. Also, she had a retractable rope-line which enabled her to scale buildings, and insulated boots that protected her from electricity-based attacks.)

Garbed as the Bluebird, Sally then visited Peter and revealed her new costumed identity to him. She then asked him to be her personal photographer as she believed he was for Spider-Man, thinking that the publicity could help her get into the Avengers, but Peter turned her down. When Peter refused, Sally threatened to blackmail Peter by revealing his photography hobby at school--Peter still refused. Peter then preemptively told the school about his job at the Bugle. (Click on the highlighted name above to learn about the Avengers.)

Refusing to give up, Sally decided to become Spider-Man's partner. Stepping into a fight with Electro and the Eel, she enthusiastically took one of her "Ether Eggs" and tossed it at Electro, who merely laughed when only smoke arose from the shell, giving the villains the time they needed to escape. (To learn about Eel, just click on his highlighted name above.)

Undeterred by her mistake, and encouraged by her new-found fame (Liz Allan asked for her autograph), Bluebird joined Spider-Man's battle with the Scarlet Beetle--she brought Jason along as her personal photographer. In the battle, Bluebird found herself in constant danger; however, she was luckily bailed out when Spider-Man threw one of her Ether Eggs into the Scarlet Beetle's mouth. Now realizing that Sally felt invulnerable because she was so sure Spider-Man would rescue her, the web-slinger decided to do nothing when the pair fought against the Black Knight's thugs. As a result, Bluebird was quickly beaten into submission. Afterward, Spider-Man lectured her, telling her she should stop trying to be a superhero. (To learn about the highlighted characters above, just click on their names.)

However, this did not stop Sally. In fact, it boosted her determination to take more action photographs of Spider-Man. She convinced her friend Jason to drive her to a spot where Spider-Man was fighting the Black Knight, urging him to drive recklessly. At one point, she convinced Jason to run a red light. Unfortunately, this decision resulted in their car getting hit by an oncoming bus and Sally was killed.

To learn just a little bit more about Bluebird, click on the following link, http://marvel.com/universe/Bluebird.

Kelsey Chow plays the small role of Sally Avril in The Amazing Spider-Man. In the movie, her character is unnamed and is in the credits as "Hot girl." However, during an interview, Chow revealed that she played the character of Sally Avril. In the movie, she is the girl that asks Peter if he'll take a photo of her boyfriend's car.

Marvel's The Avengers Poll Results

Well, it looks like the Incredible Hulk stole the show in Marvel's The Avengers!

The Hulk came in first place with 6 of the 14 votes. Iron Man and Captain America tied for 3 votes a piece. Thor came in third with 2 votes. Black Widow and Hawkeye tied for last place with each receiving no votes.

Thank you for all those that participated by voting and/or leaving comments about who your favorite Avenger was from the movie.

As always Marvel Maniacs, "KEEP UP THE MADNESS!"

Mary Parker

Real Name
Mary Teresa Fitzpatrick-Parker

Occupation
Spy, CIA Agent

Citizenship
U.S.A.

Place of Birth
Unknown

Known Relatives
Richard Parker (husband); Peter Parker (son); Will Fitzpatrick (father); Ben Parker (brother-in-law); May Parker-Reilly (sister-in-law)

Group Affiliation
Formerly CIA

Education

Unrevealed

Height
5' 6"

Weight
114 lbs.

Eyes
Hazel

Hair
Brown

Powers
None

Abilities
CIA training, translation, and data analysis

Other Info
Mary Fitzpatrick was the daughter of O.S.S. (Office of Strategic Services) agent Will Fitzpatrick. Mary followed her father's footsteps and become a Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) agent. She became a translator and data analyst for the agency. (To learn about Will Fitzpatrick, just click on the highlighted name above.)

It was during her time in the CIA, that Mary met Richard Parker. The two soon fell in love. When they decided to get married, Mary and Richard eloped, and then later had a more elaborate service, fooling many people. Soon after they were married, Mary began working on-field assignments with Richard. The two easily used the cover as a married couple while on their missions. (Click on the highlighted name above to learn about Richard Parker.)

Later on, Mary and Richard were sent to investigate Baroness Adelicia Von Krupp, who had captured a Canadian ally named "Agent Ten." The couple were able to successfully rescue the agent from the Baroness and Baron Wolfgang von Strucker. During this rescue, Mary and Richard found out that the agent's real name was Logan (aka Wolverine). (To learn about Baron von Strucker and/or Wolverine, just click on their highlighted names above.)

After that mission, while in the hospital, Mary discovered that she was pregnant. Logan was still with the couple at the time and was the first person to congratulate the Parkers on their pregnancy.

Once their baby boy, Peter, was born, Mary and Richard decided to continue with their careers as secret agents. Due to being frequently absences, Mary and Richard often left Peter in the care of his Richard's older brother, Ben Parker, and his wife May. (To learn about Peter, Ben, and/or May Parker, just click on their highlighted names above.)

When Peter was still a young child, Mary and Richard were sent on a mission to infiltrate an Algerian-based spy ring controlled by the Communist agent Albert Malik (Red Skull). They both posed as traitors to the United States, but in reality were serving as double agents. However, eventually their cover was blown and the Red Skull called in an assassin named Finisher to kill the two. The Finisher sabotaged the Parkers' plane and caused it to crash. Mary and Richard were subsequently declared missing in action/presumed dead, as two burnt bodies were found in the remains. In addition, the Red Skull had Mary and Richard Parker framed for illicit defection and as traitors to the United States. (To learn about the third Red Skull, click on his highlighted name above.)

As their son Peter grew up, her brother-in-law and sister-in-law (Ben and May) would share photographs and happy memories with Peter of his parents. However, Uncle Ben and Aunt May did not believe that Mary and Richard had been traitors to their country. In fact, when Peter discovered this, he traveled to Algeria to find out more about his parents. Ultimately, after a run in with the Red Skull and the Finisher, Peter was able to find evidence to prove that his parents were in fact innocent. Spider-Man then returned to America with the evidence which cleared Mary and Richard Parkers' names.

Years later, Mary and Richard resurfaced. They told Peter and Aunt May that they had been held captive overseas all this time. However, overtime, Peter realized that both of these parents of his were fakes and actually Life Model Decoys (LMD) of Mary and Richard Parker created by the Chameleon and Harry Osborn. It was Harry's effort to avenge his (supposedly) dead father, Norman Osborn. (Click on the highlighted names above to learn more about LMD and/or the characters.)

There is nothing there, but here is link to the bio of Mary Parker on Marvel.com, http://marvel.com/universe/Parker,_Mary.

Marvel's The Avengers Poll

I highlighted the Avengers Team awhile ago. And if you didn't notice, the original Avengers in the comics were not all the same superheroes that appeared in the movie, Marvel's The Avengers. They did not include Ant-Man or Wasp. But, they did include Black Widow, Captain America, and Hawkeye. (All three have been in the Avengers, and Captain America joined very soon after the original team was created--replacing the Hulk; however, none of them were "original" members.)

With the recent box office record-smashing movie, it made me wonder who was everyone's favorite Avenger superhero from Marvel's The Avengers:

Black Widow, Captain America, Hawkeye, Hulk, Iron Man, or Thor? (To review the characters right here on the Marvel Madness blog, just click on the highlighted names above.)

Please cast your vote for who your favorite Avenger is. And if you have time, please give us a reason for why you chose that character in the "Comment" section below.

Richard Parker

Real Name

Richard Laurence Parker

Occupation
Spy, CIA Agent

Citizenship
U.S.A.

Place of Birth
Unknown

Known Relatives
Mary Parker (wife); Peter Parker (son); Ben Parker (brother); May Parker-Reilly (sister-in-law); Will Fitzpatrick (father-in-law)

Group Affiliation
Formerly CIA and United States Army Special Forces

Education

Unrevealed

Height
5' 11"

Weight
175 lbs.

Eyes
Brown

Hair
Brown

Powers
None

Abilities
CIA and US Army training

Other Info
Much is unknown about Richard Parkers life before he be began his career in the United States Army Special Forces. Eventually, Parker was recruited to the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) by Nick Fury. (To learn about Nick Fury, click on the highlighted name above. Note: Beware of the low-cut outfit worn by one on Nick Fury's bio page.)

It was during his time in the the CIA, that Richard met a woman named Mary Fitzpatrick. Soon, the two fell in love. The two eventually eloped, and later had a more elaborate service, fooling many. Soon after the two were married, Richard and Mary began working on-field assignments together. They easily used the cover that they were just a married couple while on their missions. (Click on the highlighted name above to learn about Mary Fitzpatrick-Parker)

At one point, Richard was sent with Mary on a mission to investigate Baroness Adelicia Von Krupp, who had captured a Canadian ally named "Agent Ten." Richard and Mary were able to successfully rescue the agent from the Baroness and Baron Wolfgang von Strucker. During this rescue mission, they found out the agent's real name was Logan (aka Wolverine). (To learn about Baron von Srucker and/or Wolverine, just click on their highlighted names above.)

After that mission, Richard discovered that Mary was pregnant. In fact, it was the agent Logan who was the first person to congratulate the Parkers on their pregnancy. In addition, Logan stated that he had never seen an agent as tough as Richard Parker go that white that fast.

Once their baby boy, Peter, was born, Richard and Mary continued their careers as secret agents. Due to their frequent missions, Richard and Mary often had to leave Peter in the care of his older brother, Ben Parker, and his wife May. (To learn about Peter, Ben, and/or May Parker, just click on their highlighted names above.)

When Peter was still a young child, Richard and his wife were sent on a mission to infiltrate the Algerian-based spy ring controlled by the Communist agent, Albert Malik (Red Skull). The two posed as traitors to the United States, but in reality were serving as double agents. However, eventually their cover was blown and the Red Skull called in an assassin named Finisher to kill the two. The Finisher sabotaged the Parkers' plane and caused it to crash. Richard and Mary were subsequently declared missing in action/presumed dead, as two burnt bodies were found in the remains. In addition, the Red Skull had Richard and Mary Parker framed for illicit defection and as traitors to the United States. (To learn about the third Red Skull, click on his highlighted name above.)

As their son Peter grew up, Richard's brother Ben and his wife May would show share photographs and happy memories with Peter. However, Uncle Ben and Aunt May did not believe that Richard and Mary had been traitors to their country. In fact, when Peter discovered this, he traveled to Algeria to find out more about his parents. Ultimately, after a run in with the Red Skull and the Finisher in Algeria, Peter was able to find evidence that proved his parents were in fact innocent. Spider-Man then returned to America with the evidence and cleared Richard and Mary Parkers' names.

Years later, Richard and Mary resurfaced. They tell Peter and Aunt May that they had been held captive overseas all this time. However, overtime, Peter realized that both of these Richard and Mary Parkers were fakes. They ended up being Life Model Decoys (LMD) created by the Chameleon and Harry Osborn to trick Spider-Man. This was Harry's effort to avenge his (supposedly) dead father, Norman Osborn. (Click on the highlighted names above to learn more about LMD and/or the characters.)

There is nothing there, but here is link to the bio of Richard Parker on Marvel.com, http://marvel.com/universe/Parker,_Richard.

Richard Parker appears in the film The Amazing Spider-Man. Like in the comics, Richard Parker is killed in a plane crash. However, in the movie it is suggested that Richard Parker was assisting Dr. Curt Connors with the research that eventually led Connors to become the Lizard.

Burglar

Real Name

Unknown

Occupation
Criminal

Citizenship
U.S.A.

Place of Birth
Unrevealed

Known Relative
Jessica Carradine (daughter)

Group Affiliation
None

Education

Unrevealed

Height

5' 9"

Weight
150 lbs.

Eyes
Blue

Hair
Blond

Powers
None

Abilities
None

Other Info
Little of the Burglar's early history is known, but it is mentioned that even in his younger years he was a criminal.

At some point in his life, the Burglar was caught and send to prison. The Burglar became the cellmate of the infamous depression era gangster "Dutch" Mallone. In the 1930's, Mallone lived in New York City's Forest Hills section in the very same house that was now inhabited by Ben Parker and his family. It was long rumored that Mallone had hidden millions of dollars away somewhere. However, now Dutch Mallone was an elderly man. One night, the Burglar overheard Dutch Mallone talking in his sleep about where he hid the money. The Burglar heard that it was somewhere in his old house in Forest Hills. (To learn about Uncle Ben, click on his highlighted name above.)

Later, now out of prison, the Burglar heads to a Manahattan television station to find the location of Mallone's old home. At the station, the Burglar robs it and finds out the information he needs. Fleeing the scene, he is chased by office security and runs into a young Peter Parker (who was still dressed as Spider-Man). The officer yelled to Peter to trip the crook up before he could get to the elevator. However, Spider-Man refused to help, allowing the Burglar to make it into the elevator and escape. (Click on the highlighted name above to learn more about Spider-Man.)

One night, a few weeks, the Burglar broke into the Parker home to search for the money (unknown to the Burglar, however, the money was hidden in a box behind a wall in the House, but had long ago been devoured by silverfish). Peter was away making a personal appearance as Spider-Man during this time and he wasn't home. But, the Burglar took Ben and May Parker by surprise and held them at gunpoint. He then grabbed May and demanded she show him around so he could find something. Furious, Ben ordered the Burglar to unhand May and angrily reached toward him. Frightened, the Burglar shot Ben and ran out of the house. Ben Parker died. (To learn about Aunt May, click on her highlighted name above.)

While he was fleeing the scene, the Burglar began to be chased by police. Eventually, he runs into a warehouse. It was here that he runs into Spider-Man--wanting to avenge the death of his Uncle Ben. Spider-Man attacks and knocks the Burglar out. It is at this moment that Spider-Man realizes that the man is the thief he had encountered before at the television station. Spider-Man left the Burglar there to be captured by the authorities.

Years later, having served his time in prison, the Burglar is released (despite being deemed mentally unstable by psychiatrists). Still wanting to find Mallone's hidden treasure, the Burglar rents the old Parker home. After tearing it apart and finding nothing, he decided to interrogate Aunt May, who now resided in the Restwell Nursing Home on Long Island. Once arriving to the nursing home, the Burglar held prisoner the the nursing home's owner, Doctor Ludwig Rinehart. He pressured Rinehart to let him take May Parker. (Rinehart was actually the villain Mysterio in disguise). Rinehart decided to play the Burglar and allow him to talk to May Parker--he figured he could dispose of the Burglar once he learned of the treasure's location. So, he faked Aunt May's death from a heart attack to allow the Burglar to take her from the nursing home without Peter knowing. (Click on the highlighted name above to learn more about Mysterio.)

Soon, the two's "partnership" sours and the two criminals turn on each other--Mysterio wanting the money for himself. Rinehart revealed his true nature before beating and imprisoning the Burglar. However, the Burglar was able to escape from Mysterio. The Burglar ran to the same warehouse he was first captured by Spider-Man—he was holding May Parker captive there. However, Spider-Man tracked him down and and confronted the Burglar there. It was then, that Spider-Man revealed his true identity as Ben Parker's nephew. Believing that Spider-Man was about to kill him as revenge for murdering his Uncle Ben, the Burglar suffered a fear-induced heart attack and died. Among his last words was the request to Spider-Man to apologize to the family of an old man he had murdered on his behalf.

More recently, it was revealed that the Burglar had a daughter. After going from foster home to foster home the daughter turned up as Jessica Carradine, a photographer for the Daily Bugle. (To learn about the Daily Bugle, click on the highlighted name above.)

There is nothing there, but here is the link to the Burglar's bio on Marvel.com, http://marvel.com/universe/Burglar.

In Spider-Man and Spider-Man 3, the Burglar's character is a carjacker rather than a burglar. In the movie though, the thief ends up shooting and killing Uncle Ben while Peter's uncle was waiting for him outside of a library.

Battle Royal 14 Results

And the winner of the Battle Royal 14 is the Mad Titan...THANOS!!!

Receiving 9 of the 11 votes, Thanos swept the competition. In fact, the only competition he had was Cerebro who brought in the remaining 2 votes.

Thank you to all those who voted. And as always Marvel Maniacs...keep up the Madness!

Fantastic Four

Team Name
Fantastic Four

Base of Operations
Baxter Building, New York, New York. Formerly Four Freedoms Plaza; Antarctic Laboratory; Pier 4

Current Members
Human Torch, Invisible Woman, Mister Fantastic, the Thing

Former Members

Ant-Man, Black Panther, Crystal, Medusa, Ms. Marvel, Namorita, Power Man, She-Hulk, Storm

Other Members (Honorary, Reserve, etc.)
Lyja the Lazerfist

Other Info
While a student at Empire State University, Reed Richards began working on plans for one of the first vehicles capable of interstellar travel. His roommate and best friend, Ben Grimm, jokingly promised to pilot the craft if Reed was able to build it. But, after studying to be an aeronautical engineer, Reed finally realized his lifelong dream. Exhausting the majority of his vast inheritance, he funded the construction and launch of such a starship. However, other financers, particularly the U.S. government, were losing interest and they threatened to cut off their funding of the project. Therefore, Reed embarked on an immediate unauthorized test flight (Reed's longtime sweetheart and fiancée Susan Storm and her younger brother Johnny insisted on joining Reed on the flight and Ben Grimm was convinced to pilot the rocket). Once in space, the rocket was bombarded by a wave of cosmic radiation which resulted in the their craft crashing back on Earth. When the four emerged from the ruins, they had discovered that the radiation had mutated their bodies: Reed gained the ability to stretch his body and limbs, Johnny was able to fly and become engulfed in flames he could control, Sue was able to bend light around her body and become invisible, and Ben gained incredible strength and durability--but his body was tragically transformed into a muscular orange, rock-like hide. (To learn about the school and/or the Fantastic Four members, just click on the highlighted names above. Beware of the form-fitting outfit worn by one on Johnny Storm's bio page.)

After this, all four decided to use their powers to better humanity and founded the Fantastic Four. Individually, they called themselves Mr. Fantastic, Invisible Girl, the Human Torch, and the Thing. The team established their headquarters atop the Baxter Building in midtown Manhattan. (Noah Baxter, a friend and fellow inventor, helped Reed Richards purchase the Baxter building). The profits from Reed's patents and royalties continued to fund the team's goal to safeguard the world from any and all threats beyond the purview of conventional peacekeeping forces. In addition, the team also the became very involved with new scientific discovery, such as the discovery of the parallel dimension known as the Negative Zone. (Click on the highlighted names above to learn about the building, character, and/or place.)

The Fantastic Four first put its abilities on public display when the subterranean Mole Man attempted to annihilate the entire human race by destroying Earth's power plants and unleashing an army of gigantic monsters. However, the Fantastic Four were able to fight off the Mole Man's threat. Soon afterward, the Fantastic Four were thrown into conflict with the shape-shifting alien race known as the Skrulls. After this (and many more public adventures), the Fantastic Four soon became worldwide celebrities, and their exploits showed up in newspapers, comic books, and on television. (To learn about the above highlighted character and/or race, click on their names above.)

Later on, after a battle with the Miracle Man, Johnny left the team and encountered the World War II hero Namor, the Sub-Mariner living as an amnesiac. Recognizing Namor from comic books, Johnny dropped him into the sea--hoping to restore his memory. His plan worked; however, after Namor found Atlantis in ruins, he declared war on humanity. Johnny ended up rejoining the Fantastic Four and together they drove Namor back into the sea. (To learn about the characters and/or place highlighted above, just click on their name.)

Meanwhile, Reed's former college rival Victor von Doom became the villainous "Doctor Doom." Doom's attempts at world domination forced the Fantastic Four to face him time and time again. In addition to Doom, the Fantastic Four went head to head with many threats including, Kurrgo, the Impossible Man, the Super-Skrull, and the Molecule Man. One time, the Fantastic Four and the Avengers had to team up when the Hulk attacked New York in his most destructive rampage yet. In addition, due to the schemes of the Puppet Master and the Mad Thinker the Fantastic Four even had to go up against the X-Men at one point. (To learn about any of the highlighted characters above, just click on their names.)

Eventually, Reed and Sue were married, which became a celebrity event. In addition, the wedding was attended by the Avengers and most of the world's heroes.

Later on, despite Utau the Watcher's efforts to hide it, Galactus came to Earth determined to consume the energy-rich planet; however, his herald, the Silver Surfer, rebelled. In addition, Reed Richards thwarted Galactus by threatening to use an alien device called the Ultimate Nullifier on him (a doomsday weapon that could lay waste to the universe and kill even Galactus). Galactus was forced to vow to spare Earth in exchange for the Nullifier's return. (Click on the highlighted names above to learn about the characters and/or item.)

Later on, Reed and Sue found out that they were going to have a baby. Due to a difficult pregnancy for Sue, she temporarily left the team. During this time (Johnny's girlfriend) Crystal joined the Fantastic Four. At the last moment, to save the unborn child, the Fantastic Four had to visit the Negative Zone and borrow the Cosmic Control Rod of Annihilus. Reed and Sue's child, Franklin, manifested strong and unusual powers almost immediately. When Annihilus found this out, he kidnapped Franklin to tap into those powers. Due to this, Franklin's powers increased exponentially, and Reed felt he had no choice but to inhibit Franklin's mental activity. Outraged by her husband's actions, Sue left Reed and took Franklin with her. During Sue Storm's absense, the Inhuman Medusa took her place. The old bonds, though, eventually drew Sue back to the team. (Click on the highlighted names above to learn about the characters, item, and/or race. Note: Beware of the very revealing/form-fitting outfits worn by Medusa on her and the Inhumans' bio pages. Also, pictures of Crystal and Medusa are shown in the forth picture posted above--Medusa is the far left and Crystal is the second from the right.)

In another membership shake-up, when Ben Grimm temporarily lost his powers, Reed Richards hired the mercenary Power Man to take his place on the team. However, this lasted only until Reed could finish an armored exoskeleton for Ben. (To learn about Power-Man, just click on his highlighted name above. Power-Man is shown in the forth picture posted above on the far right.)

At one point, the Fantastic Four were among the various heroes transported to the distant "Battleworld" created by the alien Beyonder for the first of the so-called "Secret Wars." After defeating the Beyonder, the Thing refused to return to Earth with the heroes--happy to have found the ability to transform into his human form at will on this planet. The Thing then asked She-Hulk to take his place on the team. (To learn about the above highlighted place, characters, and/or event, just click on their names above. Note: Beware of the very form-fitting/revealing outfits on the She-Hulk and the Beyonder's bio page)

Later, during an extended trip to the Negative Zone (a sort of second honeymoon) Sue conceived another child. This unborn daughter began to give off radiation. Despite bringing in fellow scientists and radiation experts Bruce Banner, Michael Morbius, Walter Langkowski, and Otto Octavius, Reed Richards was unable to save his daughter, Valeria, who appeared to be stillborn. (However, it was later revealed that Franklin had actually "saved" his sister by sending her to another dimension and raised there.) (Click on the highlighted names above to learn about the different characters.)

When the Thing returned months later, he was distraught to find that his former girlfriend, Alicia Masters, had begun a relationship with his teammate, Johnny Storm. The Thing quit the Fantastic Four to wander the country for a time, and She-Hulk remained in his stead. (It was later revealed that this woman was not the real Alicia, but the Skrull Lyja.) (Click on Alicia and/or Lyja's highlighted names above learn more about them.)

At one point, the Baxter Building came under attack Kristoff Vernard (a youth who had been programmed to believe he was Doctor Doom) and shot the building into space and destroyed it. Afterwards, instead of rebuilding the old building, Reed Richards designed and oversaw the construction of a new tower, named Four Freedoms Plaza. (Click on the names above to learn about the highlighted character and/or place.)

Later on, the Thing rejoined the team and She-Hulk returned to the Avengers. Soon after this, Reed and Sue Richards announced they were leaving the Fantastic Four to focus on raising their son, and they left Ben in charge. During this time, Ben recruited Crystal and Ms. Marvel (Sharon Ventura) to join him and Johnny as the Fantastic Four. At one point, both the Thing and Ms. Marvel were subject to another shuttle accident, bombarding them both with cosmic rays. This mutated Ben further into a spiky-hided Thing, and turned it Ms. Marvel into a "She-Thing." (Click on the highlighted names above to learn more about the characters. Note: Beware of the revealing/form-fitting outfits on Ms. Marvel's bio page. Also, the fourth picture posted shows Ms. Marvel in her "She-Thing" form.)

After the return of Mr. Fantastic and the Invisble Woman to the Fantastic Four, Doctor Doom lured a powerful alien entity known as Hunger to his nation of Latveria--he wanted its power. In the subsequent battle both Reed and Doom apparently died. Sue refused to believe that her husband had died; however, in Reed's absence, she took over leadership of the Fantastic Four. In addition, she recruited Ant-Man (Scott Lang) as the team's new scientist. Sue also formed an alliance with Namor during this time. (To learn about the above highlighted characters, just click on their names.)

Eventually, the team discovered that Reed and Doctor Doom had not died, but were snatched moments before death by the villain Hyperstorm. During the subsequent rescue mission, Doom was able to escape; however, with the help of the planet-devouring Galactus the Fantastic Four were able to defeat Hyperstorm. Upon the Fantastic Four's return, Ant-Man and Namor parted company. (To learn about Hyperstorm, just on his name above.)

Soon afterwards, Franklin Richards was kidnapped by the psychic being known as Onslaught. In order to defeat this villain, the Fantastic Four allied with the Avengers, the X-Men, the Inhumans, Doctor Doom, and others. The insane battle ended with the apparent deaths of most of the heroes present. However, the team was instead saved by Franklin Richards, who created a pocket dimension called "Counter-Earth" to keep them all safe. Meanwhile, back on Earth, the Thunderbolts moved into the Four Freedoms Plaza. (Click on the highlighted names above to learn about the character, place, and/or team.)

After several months away, the missing heroes returned back to Earth. The Fantastic Four decided to not worry about their old headquarters and created a new warehouse headquarters called Pier 4. (To learn about Pier 4, click on the highlighted name above.)

Later on, their reputation with the general public had taken a terrible beating due to a controversy in Latveria. The Fantastic Four broke up, Reed and Sue split up, and Reed was even forced to sign over most of his patents to the government as part of a deal to escape prosecution. However, soon afterward, the team once again came back together. Reed led them in rebuilding the Baxter Building, their finances, and their reputations.

During the time of the super-human Civil War, Johnny Storm was beat into a coma during a visit to a nightclub. The furthering of the tension between super-humans led to the team to split once again. Mr. Fantastic supported the Superhuman Registration Act, while Sue and Johnny joined the Resistance. The Thing announced that while he thought the registration was wrong, he was also not going to fight the government, so he left the country for France. However, during the final battle of the Civil War, Reed shielded Sue from an attack by the Taskmaster and was severely wounded. In the aftermath of the war, Sue and Johnny were granted amnesty. In addition, Sue and Reed took a leave from the team to work on their marriage. In their place, the recently married Black Panther and Storm filled in for them. (To learn about the super-human Civil War and/or the characters above, just click on their highlighted name above. Note: Beware of the EXTREMELY revealing outfit on Storm's bio page--block images, if possible.)

Much later, after Reed and Sue rejoined the team, the two were away on a mission when a group known as the "Cult of the Negative Zone" successfully made their way into the Baxter Building. The cult breached the portal to the Negative Zone, and once inside they managed to unleash what seemed to be an endless army of Annihilus Insectoid Soldiers upon Johnny, the currently powerless Ben, and the kids of the Future Foundation. It was apparent that Franklin had his powers back when he destroyed much of the army. The team pushed the rest of the army back into the Negative Zone; however, the only way to hold the army off permanently was by going through the portal and locking it from that side. Ben was prepared to make the sacrifice, but Johnny threw himself through the portal to do it instead, sealing himself inside the Negative Zone and bringing on an inevitable death. (Click on the highlighted name above to learn about the Future Foundation.)

More recently, while in the Negative Zone, Johnny was revived by Annihilus to participate in his "Gladiator competition." When Annihilus was planning a new Annihilation Wave to enter Earth, Johnny and the Light Brigade rebelled and took Annihilus prisoner. Using the Cosmic Control Rod, the Human Torch became the new ruler of the Negative Zone. Soon afterward, the Fantastic Four was reformed. (Click on the the names above to learn about the highlighted event and/or group)

To learn more about the Fantastic Four, click on the following link, http://marvel.com/universe/Fantastic_Four.